I Could've Been Yours
by SkellyBelly
Summary: A long-overdue conversation between Draco and Hermione about their bittersweet romance that should have ended years ago. (Dramione one-shot. The year is 2022.)


Draco knocked on the front door. His heart pounded in his chest and his breathing became heavy. He stood and waited at the front door as the seconds dragged by. At last, the door was pulled open.

Her bushy brown hair was tied up in a messy bun. Her warm, chocolate brown eyes gleamed in the sunlight. Her soft lips formed a perfect smile. Even if she was dressed in slightly tattered clothes and was a bit grimy, Hermione still looked beautiful.

"Hello, Scorpius, Mr Malfoy. Please, come in." Hermione said politely, gesturing inside. Scorpius gave her a small smile and awaited his father's approval. When Draco realized they were both waiting for his reply, he tore his eyes away from Hermione and scolded himself for being foolish.

"Oh, uh, yes – thank you." he stammered, stumbling over his words. Scorpius quickly walked inside and Hermione held the door open for Draco. Draco nodded his thanks and watched with Hermione as Scorpius lifted Rose into the air. He set her down and kissed her sweetly before she took him by the hand and led him into the living room.

Hermione laughed. "They're getting so old, aren't they?" she said. Draco tried for a smile and nodded. Hermione led him through the corridor, past many rooms, and into the living room behind their children. Ron looked up from the books he was packing into a box when they entered. He stood up and brushed the dust away from his hands.

Ron nodded his hello to Draco. "Malfoy." he said, his tone sour. Hermione shot him a warning look.

Draco, slightly amused, nodded to Ron as well. "Weasley."

"Oh, god, grow up you two. Shake hands." Hermione said, clearly irritated. This only made Draco's amusement and Ron's annoyance grow. They shook hands.

Ron went back to packing boxes as Hermione told Draco to sit on the couch while she fetched him a cup of tea. Hermione rolled her eyes when Ron asked for one too.

Draco sat on the couch and tried keep his attention away from his son and his son's girlfriend to his right. They laughed and joked and whispered to one another, oblivious to rest of the world. Naturally, it made Draco feel uncomfortable to be in the presence of their love. Even if Scorpius wouldn't admit it, he knew it was real.

"Here's your tea, honey." Hermione said. Draco whipped around to see Hermione handing her husband his tea and giving him a quick kiss.

"Thanks, love." he replied, smiling. Draco let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. For a moment, Draco thought Hermione had been addressing him. He realized with a start that he felt… disappointed. Anger towards Ron flared up inside of him. Draco scolded himself again and calmed his churning emotions.

"And here's your tea." Hermione said, handing Draco a mug of warm tea. He rested it in his lap. She smiled kindly at him, like she always did when Potter and Weasley weren't looking. He wished that-

_No,_ Draco told himself_, you can't do this to yourself._

"You're married! You have a kid!" Draco shouted, standing up and sending hot tea flying everywhere. When he saw the look on Hermione, Ron, Scorpius and Rose's faces, he realized he had said it aloud. Draco could feel his cheeks turn bright red.

"Um, I know. I have two." Hermione said, an amused smile playing across her lips. Draco's cheeks turned even redder.

"I… I am so sorry." Draco apologized quietly as he bent down and tried to collect the pieces of the broken mug. He winced when he accidentally cut himself. Hermione bent down and helped pick up the pieces as well. When she saw Draco's finger bleeding, she put down the broken pieces of mug and stood up with him.

"Here, come into the kitchen. I'll clean it up." Hermione told him. Draco followed her through the long corridor and into the kitchen. She cleaned the cut with a cloth and ordered Draco to hold a ball of cotton wool on it while she grabbed the box of band-aids. Draco took a deep breath and braced himself.

"Hermione, we need to talk." Draco said bravely. Hermione took out a band-aid and put it on the bench, waiting for Draco to continue.

"Hermione, I know the timing's bad – really bad – but I need to tell you something." he said, trying to keep his voice from trembling.

"What do you need to tell me?" Hermione asked curiously, noticing the urgency in Draco's tone.

"Hermione, I still love you. Breaking up with you when we were secretly dating was the worst decision I have ever made. I was young and I was stupid and I was afraid of love." Draco confessed. He felt lighter all of a sudden, like he had just lifted a great weight off of his shoulders.

Hermione was speechless. She stared with wide eyes at Draco as she tried to register what he just said. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, concerned. Hermione shot him daggers as tears spilled out of her eyes.

"'What's wrong?' What's wrong is that I still love you, as well." Draco's heart leaped with joy. "And I feel terrible because of it. Draco, you can't play with me like this! I am not a toy! You break up with me at the end of fifth year then come back, what, twenty-five years later? Draco, I am married with two children! You have a wife and a son!" she hissed at him, trying to keep her voice quiet for fear that Ron might overhear.

"But we can run away! We can catch a plane to… Australia! They'll never find us there! We could be together again." Draco took Hermione's hands in his own. "We could be happy again."

Hermione pushed his hands away. "You're asking me to leave my family?" she asked bitterly, astonishment and pain clear in her voice. Draco tore himself away from her eyes, his mouth twisting into a grimace.

"Well, what did you expect? Did you expect me to pack up and run off to Australia with you?" she asked, searching his eyes. Anger erupted inside of her.

"Did you?" she asked again. Draco's eyes fixed on her face – her beautiful face – and a fire burst inside of him.

"No. I didn't. But I did expect you to understand. You have no idea how I feel." he muttered, trying to cover up his pain with attitude.

"I know exactly how you feel! I've lived with it for the past twenty-seven years! I have loved you since day one. I have been patient for you. I gave everything up for you." Hermione slammed her fist on the table. "I waited twenty-seven years for you, Draco." she hissed, and before she could stop herself, she grabbed Draco's face in her hands and pulled it towards her own. In that moment, they shared a kiss like none other.

The kiss was fiery and hot. It was filled with a mixture of anger, hate and burning passion. The kiss was bittersweet and harsh. Then it eased into something else. Something more graceful; more beautiful. It melted into the soft, blissful kiss of love, but not just any kind of love; _true love_.

When Hermione finally pulled away, she resumed her angry expression and once again sent daggers Draco's way.

"Remember this, Malfoy; I will always love you, yet I will always hate you. What we had is long-gone, but I could've been yours." And with that, Hermione walked away, leaving Draco with a shattered heart and a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

**A/N: Hi, everybody! I was just skim-reading a few Dramione fanfictions when I came across one by they8pizza. It was really sweet and inspired me to write this quick one-shot. I hope you guys liked it! Please leave a review as it would mean the world to me!**

**Merry Christmas!**

**-SkellyBelly**


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